Videogame Maker Id Software Rejected Offer From Activision (thanks Bob
Woodward) is a subscription-only article from the Wall Street Journal based on a
lawsuit filed by id software co-owner Adrian Carmack revealing that the artist
and id Software cofounder was recently fired (maybe I'm just the last to learn
this, as his "retirement" is mentioned in his
Wikipedia Bio). Also
revealed in the court filings is that Activision offered id $90 Million last
year for the DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein properties and was considering making
an offer of $105 million for the entire company. The article explains why this
information would come to light in court: "Adrian Carmack claims the decision
not to sell the company was part of an effort to force him to sell his shares
back at a fraction of what he would have made in a sale to Activision. Under
terms of a contract he has asked the court to void, Mr. Carmack would have to
sell his 41% stake in the company for $11 million, below the $40 million he
might have reaped from Activision." It is not clear how Adrian Carmack ended up
41% owner of the privately held company: He was one of its original founders
along with John Carmack (no relation), Kevin Cloud, and John Romero, but since
then Romero parted ways and Todd Hollenshead and Tim Willits were granted
ownership stakes early last year (story). The article's
conclusion sums up the legal action: "In a filing earlier this month, he claims
the other owners fired him after he refused an offer to be bought out for $20
million. The Activision offer was revealed by a filing by Mr. Carmack seeking to
have his employment contract declared invalid. He contends Id's other owners
rejected the Activision offer so they could acquire his shares as a price below
what they might later fetch." The article reports both id and Activision as
either unwilling or unable to respond.